Encore
by Prof-the F.R.I.E.N.D.S fanatic
Summary: An AU Mondler centric story. What happens when Monica and Chandler fall out and Chandler disappears to continue his life elsewhere? Mondler fans, don't despair, give it a chance, and you should be satisfied by how it turns out. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Prologue

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fanfiction_

_Prologue:_

It was utterly silent, not a noise and nothing stirring in the dressing room backstage. Alone in this room sat a figure, hunched over at the desk, staring at a picture.

It was at this moment, that a stage manager frantically flew in, slamming the door open and leaving a fluttering trail of papers in his wake.

"You're to be on stage in thirty seconds sir!"

The figure stood, waving the flustered stage manager off. The figure was a man; about six foot one with fine features, sandy brown hair, and very deep, rich blue eyes.

"Okay. I'm on my way then. Excuse me." He said, his voice of medium pitch, not too deep, but not very high either.

He wore a slate gray, loose fitting button up shirt and a leather jacket. He gave a slight smile to the staff he passed as he calmly made his way to the left offstage wing. As he walked by the guitar rack, he nonchalantly grabbed his personal favorite well not breaking stride.

The guitar was a beautiful acoustic electric with a slight sunburst paint job tinge. He put the light brown leather strap over his shoulder, and right on cue, stepped onto the stage to the uproarious cheering of the crowd; 55,000 people cheering him. And as the lights came up, he struck the chord of the first song, his voice joining in soon in its glory.

(And I hope… and I hope…)

_I've practiced this for hours, gone 'round and 'round_

_And now I think that I've got it all down_

_And as I say it louder I love how it sounds_

'_Cause I'm not taking the easy way out_

_Not wrapping this in ribbons_

_Shouldn't have to give a reason why_

_It's no surprise I wont be here tomorrow_

_I can't believe that I stayed till today_

_Yeah, you and I will be a tough act to follow_

_But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise_

_It came out like a river once I let it out_

_When I thought that I wouldn't know how_

_Held onto it forever just pushing it down_

_Felt so good to let go of it now_

_Not wrapping this in ribbons_

_Shouldn't have to give a reason why_

_It's no surprise I wont be here tomorrow_

_I can't believe that I stayed till today_

_There's nothing here in this heart left to borrow_

_There's nothing here in this soul left to say_

_Don't be surprised when we hate this tomorrow_

_God knows we tried to find an easier way_

_Yeah, you and I will be a tough act to follow_

_But in time we'll find this was no surprise_

_Our favorite place we used to go_

_The warm embrace that no one knows_

_The loving look that's left your eyes_

_That's why this comes as no, as no surprise_

_If I could see the future and how this plays out_

_I bet it's better than where we are now_

_But after going through this_

_It's easier to see the reason why_

_It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow_

_I can't believe that I stayed till today_

_Yeah, you and I will be a tough act to follow_

_But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise_

_Our favorite place we used to go_

_The warm embrace that no one knows_

_The loving look that's left your eyes_

_ But in time we'll find this was no surprise_

_(And I hope, and I hope, and I hope, and I hope, and I hope.)_

_**AN/Disclaimer: Okay, so this is and isn't a song fic. It isn't meant to go with the songs necessarily, it is more like the man, who you will find out who he is soon, is singing them. In truth, from what my plan is, these songs will all be by the amazing group: Daughtry.**_

_**The song used here is No Surprise by Daughtry.**_

_**This is sort of a prologue and sort of the first chapter. It is kind of just setting the scene.**_

_**I don't own F.R.I.E.N.D.S or Daughtry, or any of the songs used.**_


	2. Chapter 1

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 1:

The man walked off the stage after closing out the concert possibly one of his best performances of a song ever. He could hear the crowd cheering, as he departed. It was a great feeling to have such support…but he didn't know any of the people there. It was a lonely life for him.

He had discovered his passion quite by accident. He had planned on becoming a literary or comedy writer after 'the incident' as he called it. He had started and found it an outlet, helping his writing ability grow even greater. The words and phrases that came out had a musical flow, and music was in his mind as he wrote. It wasn't long before he realized that his talent wasn't writing, it was writing music.

Now he was a successful artist; writing all of his own songs and lyrics. He was selling out arenas all over the place and his albums were flying off the shelves. Some called it success…but he was alone in it. He had finally found the job he enjoyed and he didn't have his friends to enjoy it alongside.

That was where his thoughts were as he boarded the tour bus, keeping his guitar with him. He kept one with him almost always, for music was also his release. If the mood struck him, he could write an entire song in an hour, and have it be a smash hit. He got to his room having changed into his regular street clothes, returning his outfit to the wardrobe department.

He secured his guitar on its stand before exhaustedly plopping down on his cot by the wall. He was just about to flick on the TV to stare absentmindedly at it, when a young assistant in his stage crew flew into his room. The kid was probably all of twenty years old and had short blonde hair.

"I'm so sorry for the interruption and barging in here sir, but you left your phone in your dressing room sir, and the tour bus was about to leave and I thought you might want it sir."

The man smiled kindly to put the kid who was six years younger than him at ease. "Thank you so much. And please, call me Chandler."

"Of course sir-Chandler." He responded.

Chandler couldn't help but laugh and crack a grin at that. "It's been quite some time since someone addressed me as Sir Chandler."

This seemed to relax the twenty year old who gave a slightly embarrassed grin.

Chandler turned to face him directly; glad the kid was no longer so flustered. "Your name's Daniel, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's a great name." Chandler replied.

_Monica always wanted to name her first son that. Ha, funny how I used to think it would be __**our**__ first son._ Chandler couldn't help but shake his head at himself. _I thought I was over that…_

"Thank you. I think I will leave you be now." Daniel said, noticing the lapse in conversation.

Chandler gave a nod of thanks. When Daniel went to walk out the door of his 'bedroom' he called to him.

"Thanks for bringing me my phone. It was nice speaking with you Daniel."

Daniel flashed a smile before responding, "It was nice speaking with you too Chandler."

Daniel then walked out the door, leaving Chandler alone in his room on the tour bus. Chandler heard the engine start up and felt the bus start to pull out of the parking lot of the concert arena. He sighed, leaning back once more and turning the TV on, hoping to catch Joey in some televised work he had done recently, even if it was a commercial. It was the only way he was able to keep up to date with any of his old friends. He sat there staring at the TV, not being able to help wondering if the gang ever wondered about him.

"It has been a year since they broke up! She needs to get over it!" Ross said worriedly.

"She's tried going on dates, but they all end up horribly. She refuses to go on any date that we set up." Rachel added.

Phoebe walked over from the counter in Central Perk and sat down in the chair to the left of the couch where Joey, Ross, and Rachel were sitting. "We don't know what was said, or even what they broke up over. Sure she needs to move on eventually, but we don't know how badly she's hurt."

Joey looked at the other three. "Are none of you worried about how Chandler's doing? He and Monica were close to begin with, and got even closer while they dated. He had to have been crushed as well."

The other three shook their heads, and looked slightly ashamed. They had gotten used to Joey making insightful comments when the topic was Monica and Chandler. He, apart from Monica, was probably the one who knew their former friend the best.

"Well he's doing pretty well for himself." Ross said trying to justify his shortsightedness.

"Yeah, sold out concerts, selling millions of albums…" Rachel added.

"Joey, if he were and actor, he'd be like, a top a-lister. He is completely and utterly famous." Phoebe said softly, for she had a feeling she knew where Joey was going with this.

"Have any of you even listened to the lyrics of his songs? He writes them himself you know; he said so in an interview. Plus, is he dating anyone? Has he since he broke up with Monica? No! We would know! It would be all over E! and the tabloids." Joey said.

Recognition suddenly dawned on the other three, but it was Ross who put words to it.

"The only difference between he and Mon is that he has found an outlet. His music is the way for him to deal with this…and the lyrics allow him to verbalize his emotion. Monica's only coping mechanism is to clean and cook, none of which involve expressing emotion."

It took Joey a bit of time to work through the much more sophisticated version of what he had been alluding to, but when he finally did, he nodded his agreement. He then dug into his coat pocket, tossing the CD of Chandler's latest album on the coffee table.

"Ross, lets go to your place so Monica doesn't hear. You guys need to hear this." Joey said with a soft yet firm voice.

Phoebe looked cautiously at Rachel, knowing she would be reluctant to go behind Monica's back and listen to his album. Rachel was the only one who hadn't bothered to even follow his career out of loyalty to Monica, though whether it was misguided loyalty, they didn't know.

Rachel felt Phoebe's gaze on her, and finally caved.

"Fine, I'll listen to his album…I feel bad though. It's wrong to do this behind Mon's back."

Ross sighed resignedly, finally realizing that this was what his friends had gone through during he and Rachel's first break up…except to a lesser degree, because Chandler wasn't really vying for their time. He went up to the counter to pay for their drinks and then walked out of Central Perk and across the street to his apartment building, his friends close behind.

Ross unlocked the door to his apartment and walked in, making a beeline for the window so he could close the drapes.

Meanwhile, Joey was inserting the CD into the player, and suddenly Chandler's voice filled the room. It wasn't quite the voice they had known, apart from the obvious fact that he was singing instead of speaking. The one song that came on first sounded almost angry as well as hurt. It was titled: What We Have Become.

_All those years_

_One day changes everything, and_

_Gone and your life and the passion fades away_

_Saving for something_

_That you'll never see in your days_

_Shutting out everything that you need_

_(Looking through distorted eyes)_

_Beautiful disaster_

_(Adding up a million lies)_

_So much for "Ever after"_

_Building up your wall_

_Everything you wanted_

_Fit the pieces into holes we used to crowd away_

_Giving in or leaving this now_

_Now we have what we have become_

_All the tears_

_We never thought we'd see the day when_

_The trappings of your life would seem to disappear_

_Goin' through the vacancy you leave behind_

_Not what you have promised,_

_Not what you believed_

_(Looking through distorted eyes)_

_Beautiful disaster_

_(Adding up a million lies)_

_So much for "ever after"_

_Building up your wall_

_Everything you wanted_

_Fit the pieces into holes we used to crowd away_

_Finding out the truth, when nothing really matters_

_Chase the light that's blinding even as you crowd away_

_Giving in or leaving this now_

_Now we have what we have become_

_Now you fight to ease your pain_

_Now you know it's not the way out_

_Now you know it's not the way out_

_Not the way out_

_Building up your wall_

_Everything you wanted_

_Fit the pieces into holes we used to crowd away_

_Finding out the truth, when nothing really matters_

_Chase the light that's blinding even as you crowd away_

_Giving in or leaving this now_

_Now we have what we have become_

_Giving in or leaving this now_

_Now we have what we have become_

They all stood stunned as they listened to Chandler singing on the CD, his voice clearly showing his pain and anger. But what chilled them the most was just how completely Chandler the lyrics were.

Rachel stood shaking, and upon closer inspection she was crying slightly. "What could they have possibly broken up over that left such devastation for both of them?"

The music seemed to fade into the background as they all looked at each other. None of them could seem to find a suitable answer for the question. Finally, Phoebe looked to Joey. He was the only one who had listened to all the albums, and followed Chandler's career the moment it broke through. "Are they all this pained and angry Joey?"

Joey shook his head softly, as though he were thinking about his friend who he knew so well. "No. I think I can hear him in different stages for each song. Like, I think I can tell his mood and thoughts he had when the song came to him. Some of them I don't think he fully believes, but felt that way at the time."

Ross looked at Joey oddly. "When did you become such a philosopher Joe?"

Joey glanced at Ross, "A what?"

"And he's back." Rachel managed to say with a smile, until she realized how that was something Chandler would have said at that moment. She sniffed slightly before getting enough nerve to voice her question. "Do you think he ever misses us?"

At that moment, the one song that truly always got Joey came on, and he knew it the moment the first note was strummed. "I wish he would." He whispered to himself.

_I'm staring out into the night,_

_Trying to hide the pain._

_I'm going to the place where love_

_And feeling good don't ever cost a thing._

_And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain._

_Well I'm going home,_

_Back to the place where I belong,_

_And where your love has always been enough for me._

_I'm not running from._

_No, I think you got me all wrong._

_I don't regret this life I chose for me._

_But these places and these faces are getting old,_

_So I'm going home._

_Well I'm going home._

_The miles are getting longer, it seems,_

_The closer I get to you._

_I've not always been the best man or friend for you._

_But your love remains true._

_And I don't know why._

_You always seem to give me another try._

_So I'm going home,_

_Back to the place where I belong,_

_And where your love has always been enough for me._

_I'm not running from._

_No, I think you got me all wrong._

_I don't regret this life I chose for me._

_But these places and these faces are getting old,_

_Be careful what you wish for,_

_'Cause you just might get it all._

_You just might get it all,_

_And then some you don't want._

_Be careful what you wish for,_

_'Cause you just might get it all._

_You just might get it all, yeah._

_Oh, well I'm going home,_

_Back to the place where I belong,_

_And where your love has always been enough for me._

_I'm not running from._

_No, I think you got me all wrong._

_I don't regret this life I chose for me._

_But these places and these faces are getting old._

_I said these places and these faces are getting old,_

_So I'm going home._

_I'm going home._

At that, the CD ended, and all of the friends were left with tears in their eyes. To most it may have just been a song with a beautiful message. But to the four who stood listening to it were hearing their disappeared friend's voice, crying of loneliness and sorrow, a wistfulness for it to be the truth. They were unable to stop from breaking down, left missing their friend who had had a terrible childhood and came out with a relatively few emotional scars. But the scars had led to new scars…and they were left remembering Chandler's face when he spoke to them before he left, the pain and betrayal; the utter heartbreak, all causing his voice to shake as he said farewell, and his explanation for leaving.

_**AN/Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own FRIENDS; I do not own Daughtry or their songs. The songs used were What We Have Become by Daughtry and Home by Daughtry.**_


	3. Chapter 2

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 2:

After minutes of silence Rachel managed to break it. "Who knew he could sing so well? He never sang around us."

Joey gave a slight shrug, still struggling to find his voice. "We need to find Mon, and figure out what happened between them. They're meant to be together, they were so perfect together."

"Lets go find Monica."

The gang crossed the street once more, and made their way to apartment twenty. They had been inside maybe once in the last three weeks, for Monica often refused to come to the door and they had respected her privacy.

Ross tested the doorknob, for Monica had gotten in the habit of locking the door.

"Joey, go get your key." He ordered.

When Joey returned a few moments later with the key, they entered the apartment and were floored by how messy and unorganized it was. It didn't look like a place Monica lived. Upon discovering Monica wasn't in the living room, Rachel carefully made her way to Monica's bedroom, slightly terrified of what she may find.

As she opened the door she gasped in pity, revealing a puffy eyed Monica curled up in a fetal position on her bed. An old t-shirt she held in her hands muffled her soft sobs. Taking in the open drawer of the dresser, Rachel realized what must have happened to make her break down so badly. Rachel quickly ducked out of Monica's room and returned to the gang.

"I think she found one of Chandler's old t-shirts in the bottom of her drawer." She informed the group.

They all followed Rachel in, making sympathetic noises as the approached Monica. Phoebe slowly sat down next to her.

"Oh Mon, honey." She cooed sympathetically, hating seeing her friend in such a state.

Monica's voice broke through, ragged with tears. "One stupid fight too far, and I drove him away!"

"Monica sweetie, what do you mean? What happened? We want to know." Rachel said softly.

After some deliberation, Monica started, sitting up slightly and clutching the t-shirt close to her.

"It all started one day."

Chandler sat strumming softly on his guitar, mumbling little phrases to himself as he worked through his current mood, on of his depressed, miserable, post break up moods. He had many post break up moods. One could be anger, one could be sadness, one could be finding resolve and trying to convince himself he was over Monica…or it could be what he was feeling right now.

After about fifteen minutes of playing, he felt better, and started to sing to himself some of the phrases he had come up with.

_Stop lying to yourself_

_Let it all out_

_The pain of yesterday_

_Are the scars of now_

_Yet they only hide the way you feel_

His voice was soft and pained, until he finally stopped, and leaned back in his chair to watch the TV. When he felt the tour bus jolt to a stop, he knew why. It had been planned that at two o'clock his manager would come on board and they would discuss the next leg of the tour and his next possible album release date. Sure enough, he felt his iPhone alert him that it was time for a meeting. Sighing reluctantly, he rose from his seat and entered the main room of the bus. When he found his seat across from his manager in the plush captain chairs, the bus started to move forward again.

"So Chandler, how do you feel this tour is going?" his manager Aiden Donovan asked.

Chandler shrugged, absentmindedly messing with his hands on the table.

"I don't know. It's going well I guess. The fans are great as always, and then energy on stage is amazing."

"But?"

"How did you know there was a but?" Chandler asked, slightly perplexed.

"Your tone. Anyway, what is the but?"

"I guess, I'm kind of lonely. Sure, I love the staff, you guys are all amazing, but I miss my friends. I can't help but wish they could share this with me. But the circumstances don't work in my favor, so I try to ignore it."

Aiden nodded before replying, "Well let us know if we can do anything."

Chandler muttered a quiet 'sure' in response, shrugging as he spoke and leaned back. He ran his fingers through his hair, as was a habit of his.

Aiden eyed him cautiously before shrugging it off and proceeding.

"So, our next few stops are in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. You'll be performing twice in Ohio, in Cleveland and then in Akron. In Pennsylvania, you will be performing in Franklin, Harrisburg, and Scranton. Then in New York, you'll be hitting Rochester, Syracuse, and Kingston. Oh, and here's a great surprise! You're booked to perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City!"

When Chandler heard that, his first thought was that if he had been drinking water, it would have gone up his nose. He was in utter shock for a few seconds then managed to stutter, "N-New Yo-rk City?"

Aiden was slightly taken aback by Chandler's response. "Yes, New York City is where Madison Square Garden is…"

"I'm sorry, but I can't go to New York City. I can't. I just can't."

"Chandler! This is MADISON SQUARE GARDEN! You can't pass this up! More so, we can't go back on it. We've already posted it on your website and countless tickets have been sold. But don't worry. It's just like performing anywhere else, and you've got a week or so to prep yourself for it." Aiden said, doing his best to keep his exasperation from his voice.

_This isn't about nerves!_ Chandler thought irritably, _this is about not being able to go back to the place that was my life before it became the place that my heart was shattered and going back to the time when my life had no meaning._

Chandler knew it was pointless to argue with Aiden so he caved, though his demeanor was much more subdued afterwards. "Fine."

After the meeting, Chandler retreated to his room, miserable as the tour bus made its way towards Cleveland.

"And because of a stupid fight he's gone and it's all my fault." Monica sobbed.

Ross sighed, not quite sure how to respond. It sounded as if Monica had acted illogically and got on Chandler's last nerve, and due to his own issues with relationships, didn't know how to work past it.

"Now come on Mon…you can't let this consume you. It hurts now, but you'll get over it. You need to, for your own sake." Rachel said softly.

With the rest of the group's help Monica slowly got past her pain, self pity, and self blame and on to the next stage; amplification of her anger towards Chandler. It was probably a good thing her apartment was a mess, because she would be cleaning a lot during her angry stage.

It was a few days later that Joey burst into Central Perk where Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross sat. Monica had started to join them there more frequently, but right then she was at work.

"Guys! Guess what!" Joey practically yelled in his excitement.

"Ooh! Ooh! Leave it to Beaver is doing a reunion show!" Phoebe shot back excitedly.

"Pheebs, I think that might be a bit hard for them to pull off." Ross said calmly.

"Ooh! Is-"

"Quick Joe, tell us before she guesses again." Rachel said, cutting Phoebe off.

Shaking slightly from excitement, Joey revealed why he was so happy. "Chandler is performing at Madison Square Garden next week!"

The others looked from Joey to each other, trying to gauge reactions. Joey obviously wanted to go, but the others weren't so sure.

"Joe, it might be kind of risky to show up at his concert. He may not want us there. Plus, it's one thing to listen to his CDs behind Monica's back, but she would kill us if she found out we went to his concert behind her back." Ross said slowly.

Phoebe nodded, "Yeah, especially with her being in the angry stage right now."

"Then get her to the next stage and quickly!" Joey said energetically, "I want to see Chandler!"

"It'd be hard, but we may be able to pull it off." Rachel said thoughtfully.

"Yay! Lets get started! I'll go buy tickets and you guys get Mon past the angry stage to whatever stage works best for us." Joey exclaimed.

It was a LOT of work, but Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, and Joey managed to get Monica to progress, to even go on a few dates. Now she just felt disappointed that things hadn't gone well with Chandler.

"It's just, it was what we had both feared going into our relationship. Not only did we lose our significant others, we lost each other as friends." Monica explained.

"Yeah, it really stinks that it didn't work out. He really was trying to help by disappearing. He didn't want to create more awkwardness than there was already probably." Phoebe added.

The days wore by, and soon, it was the day before the concert.

As usual, the tour bus arrived the day before the concert, leaving Chandler to explore for a day. But now, he was exploring his old haunts, trying to recapture how it was before 'the incident'. Of course, that was made substantially harder due to the fact he was recognized by practically everyone, many people stopping him to get autographs. It didn't bother him terribly, seeing as he loved his fans' devotion, but he did want time alone with his thoughts, just to reminisce.

His steps took him past his old office building, down old streets that caused memories long buried to fly to the surface of his mind; losing Ben on the bus, visiting Marcel on set of the movie, Suzy tricking him into getting stuck in a nice restaurant's bathroom stall in nothing but hot pink panties, Monica's first job at the Moondance Diner, Ross' job at the museum…he wondered if any of them had gotten new jobs since he left. Soon he found himself outside Central Perk and his old apartment building. Part of him wanted to go into Central Perk to see if any of his former friends were there, but he knew better than to try to reconnect. It would mean reconnecting with Monica, who had undoubtedly moved on, which would cause nothing but awkwardness. No, he would play this concert than move on.

_**AN/Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Ooh! Except I did come up with those lyrics used THIS chapter off the top of my head. If they stink, sorry, I'm not a song writer.**_


	4. Chapter 3

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 3:

It was 5:45PM and Joey was running around the apartment, Rachel laughing, as he tried to get ready for the concert. This was the first time she had been ready before anybody else, and she had to admit it was hilarious to see the others rushing around.

The concert was in half an hour and they were due to leave in five minutes. Soon, there was a knock at the door and Rachel went to open the door, revealing Ross and Phoebe, all ready to depart.

"Joey will be ready in a minute." Rachel said with a slight smirk.

"Excuse me for wanting to look good when I see my friend after almost a year!" Joey called from his bedroom before emerging in a pair of dark wash jeans and a nice loose fitting button up shirt.

"You clean up nice Joseph." Phoebe commented with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Aw, thanks Pheebs." Joey said, before quickly jumping up excitedly, "Come on we need to get moving!"

Joey couldn't help but act like a kid going to a toy store while Ross, Phoebe, and Rachel laughed at his antics, all of them also excited to see Chandler after so long.

Upon reaching the ground floor they walked outside, Ross immediately walking up to the curb and attempting to hail a taxi. It would appear that his attempts were in vain. Laughing under her breath, Phoebe pushed her way past Ross to the edge of the curb, and yelled surprisingly loud, three taxis taking her call. She waved off the second two, and the three friends squeezed into the first.

"Where to?" The cab driver, a surprisingly young, attractive man asked.

"Madison Square Garden." Rachel replied happily.

"Ah, the Chandler Bing concert. I swear, every cab from here to JFK is going there." The cabbie commented amicably.

"Really? I knew he was big, but I didn't know he was that popular." Rachel said, her voice slightly awed.

"Are you kidding? He's huge! His music is on a daily basis topping the charts. He's all over the radio and talk shows." The cabbie replied.

"Well, I haven't followed him really much at all. I'm just going because he's an old friend of ours' that we haven't seen in around a year." Rachel said, trying to defend her lack of knowledge.

"Riiight." The cab driver said disbelievingly.

"No really! I could tell you his middle name, what his parents do for a living, the reason why he hates thanksgiving, a ton of stuff." Joey interjected.

The cabbie shrugged, still not believing them, but humoring them.

The traffic got worse and worse until they were a block from Madison Square Garden. It was bumper to bumper, the pavement not visible beneath the sea of yellow caused by the endless stream of cabs.

"If you get out here and walk, you'll get there sooner." The cabbie pointed out.

"Thanks, we'll do that." Ross responded, taking out his wallet.

"The fare's $12.56, have a good time."

Ross handed him the fare then opened the door of the cab as wide as he dared. He quickly got out, followed by Phoebe, Rachel, and Joey. The cab driver was right. They had safely crossed the remainder of the street and were already halfway down the remaining block in the time it took for the traffic to travel a mere few feet.

Of course, once they reached the closest entrance to Madison Square Garden, the sheer volume of people, pushing and shoving, trying to get in sooner, hoping to catch a glimpse of Chandler before he came on, overwhelmed them.

"Geez, Chandler's sure got a lot of fans." Rachel commented.

"How else would he be able to play the Garden Rach?" Ross replied with good-natured pointedness.

Chandler sighed as he soothed his nerves of the concert that was fast approaching. Even from far backstage he could hear the crowd coming in, in their usual fervor, all hyped for his performance.

His wardrobe department was going crazy as they made last minute preparations. He was already dressed for the concert, wearing a t-shirt that was a mottling of many different grays with a solid gray decal on it. He was wearing dark wash jeans and a dog tag. Now he was surrounded by the hairdressers, all arguing on the specific way his hair should be done. Finally they decided on doing a slight spiked up style to his short cut hair, using styling gel to hold it in place. After much more fussing and squabbling, they deemed him concert ready.

Chandler turned to them with a courteous smile that turned to a grin as he spoke. "Thanks, I'll try not to mess it up."

One of the few people he considered a friend in his staff laughed and whispered in his ear, "You better not mess it up or Stacy **will** have a heart-attack."

He cracked up slightly, turning to face her. "Yeah, you're right Meg, but I don't think she's capable of them after so many concerts dealing with me."

He wore a cheeky grin as Megan shoved him away, teasingly saying, "Don't! You could cause an un-prescribed wrinkle to show up on my shirt!"

"Shut up and go check in with John, he needs to know when you're ready." Megan laughed.

"Yeah whatever." Chandler laughed in response.

"Hey, you wouldn't want anything going wrong with the final concert of the tour, now would you?" Megan mock scolded.

"God forbid!" Chandler replied teasingly before walking off to find John.

John was the stage manager, patiently awaiting Chandler in his chair, his brown hair perfectly messy as always. John was actually a pretty easy-going guy, but backstage he was all business.

"Chandler, you're on in five, so get your guitar and get ready to tear the place down."

"No problem John. Anything else? Do you maybe want an antacid?" Chandler said with a grin.

"Get out of here Bing." John said, shaking his head.

Chandler laughed and nodded, but as he walked away, he could have sworn he saw a smile on John's face. He grabbed his guitar and made his way to the offstage wing where he'd enter.

The four friends had finally made it past the entrance lines and security. Now they were struggling to find their way through the throngs of people to their seats.

"Guys, I got us seats right by the stage! We'll be so close there's no way he can miss us!" Joey said excitedly.

"Joey, I think you have become the equivalent of a fan girl." Rachel said teasingly.

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh at Joey's excited antics as he brushed off Rachel's comment without missing a beat. Well, it was more likely Joey hadn't been able to make the connection between what he said and Rachel's comment, but that just added to the humor of the situation.

They passed stand after stand selling food, drink, or some sort of trinket or memorabilia. They finally found the correct passageway and found themselves heading closer and closer to the stage. True to his word, Joey had gotten them as close as possible, which included backstage passes.

Upon finally finding their seats, the four friends sat down, anxiously awaiting the first time in almost a year that they would see their friend in person. Suddenly the lights went down, and pitch darkness reigned. Just as suddenly, strobe lights blazed, giving a sense of chaos and inhibit any clear view.

And then, the blast of moderate pyrotechnics accompanied the strum of the first chord.

The blast of pyrotechnics rang in Chandler's ears for half a second as he strummed a power chord. He gave a smile before launching into the song vocals.

_Heard that song on the radio,_

_And it got my gears turnin'_

_Like a real life time machine._

_You were there in the front seat,_

_Windows down we were burning,_

_It was just like a movie scene,_

_Those dashboard lights,_

_And your pale blue eyes cutting through me._

_Two hearts on the getaway,_

_Feels just like yesterday,_

_Young love on the freeway,_

_Singing louder than ever._

_Those nights we used to sing along,_

_We were living in a love song,_

_Those days might be gone,_

_But I hear it louder than ever._

_We spent that whole summer long,_

_You and me and the moonlight,_

_Chasing dreams in a fast machine,_

_No way that it could go wrong,_

_When it all felt so right,_

_Feeling like California queen,_

_I cannot forget all of the ways that you loved me._

_Two hearts on the getaway,_

_Feels just like yesterday,_

_Young love on the freeway,_

_Singing louder than ever._

_Those nights we used to sing along,_

_We were living in a love song,_

_Those days might be gone,_

_But I hear it louder than ever._

_I can't help but turn it up,_

_No it can't get loud enough,_

_Yeah, I just wanna hear it,_

_Over and over,_

_Over and over,_

_Heard that song on the radio,_

_And it got my gears turnin'_

_Like a real life time machine._

_Two hearts on the getaway,_

_Feels just like yesterday,_

_Young love on the freeway,_

_Singing louder than ever._

_Those nights we used to sing along,_

_We were living in a love song,_

_Those days might be gone,_

_But I hear it louder than ever._

_Two hearts on the getaway,_

_Feels just like yesterday,_

_Young love on the freeway,_

_I hear it louder than ever._

_Those nights we used to sing along,_

_We were living in a love song,_

_Those days might be gone,_

_But I hear it louder than ever._

Chandler gave a soft chuckle at the end of the song. "Hey New York City! How's everyone doing?"

Various cheers that rocked the arena answered Chandler and he couldn't help but give a wide smile in response. "Glad to hear it! Now, before I go on to the next song, I just got to say one thing…You all are the best fans ever, and I wouldn't be here without your support, so all of this," he gestured to the stage and the fact the venue was Madison Square Garden, "is all your doing. So this, this if for all of you."

Even over the cheering, the four friends turned to each other. Ross looked at the other three, unable to keep his observation to himself.

"He's really gotten much more confident, hasn't he?"

"Yeah, definitely." Phoebe nodded her agreement.

They turned to Joey, but found him smiling and cheering just as loudly as the strangers around them, Rachel acting just the same.

Chandler continued smiling, his gaze going across the entire stadium, focusing just as much on those in the far off seats as those close up. He lifted the microphone to his face in his right hand, and rubbed his left shoulder with his other hand, looking surprisingly irresistible. "Here's a personal favorite of mine, and it is brand new, so **you **are all hearing it before everyone else."

_Like a moth into a flame,_

_I'm hypnotized,_

_And like a stone,_

_I'm paralyzed cause I can't look away,_

_You found your way under my skin,_

_And I'm tryin' not to love you,_

_But I hate the way I keep on givin'_

_Into you, like I always do,_

_No matter how I try,_

_Or maybe could it be,_

_That you're the part of me,_

_That's keeping me alive?_

_How am I supposed to break this spell you got me under,_

_I'm so addicted to the pain,_

_Got your poison running through my veins,_

_The way you pull me in,_

_The way you chew me up,_

_The way you spit me out,_

_I keep coming back, I can't get enough,_

_I can't go without you,_

_I could fight you 'til the end,_

_But I will lose you if I win,_

_So I guess I'll just keep on givin'_

_Into you, like I always do,_

_No matter how I try,_

_Or maybe could it be,_

_That you're the part of me,_

_That's keeping me alive?_

_How am I supposed to break this spell you got me under,_

_I'm so addicted to the pain,_

_Got your poison running through my veins,_

_The way you pull me in,_

_The way you chew me up,_

_The way you spit me out,_

_I keep coming back, I can't get enough,_

_I can't go without you,_

_This feeling is far from sober,_

_Its beauty buried deep inside,_

_You're the only one who gets me high,_

_And I know it's far from over,_

_As you can see you're the part of me,_

_That's keeping me alive_

_How am I supposed to break this spell you got me under,_

_I'm so addicted to the pain,_

_Got your poison running through my veins,_

_The way you pull me in,_

_The way you chew me up,_

_The way you spit me out,_

_I keep coming back, I can't get enough,_

_I can't go without,_

_The way you pull me in,_

_The way you chew me up,_

_The way you spit me out,_

_I keep coming back, I can't get enough,_

_I can't go without,_

_I keep coming back, I can't get enough,_

_I can't go without, you._

The crowd was going crazy, absolutely loving the song. Chandler was smiling exceedingly widely, walking along the stage extensions that entered the audience. He was quickly high fiving those who extended their hands up when he saw his friends in the front row. He froze, not sure if he wanted to be hallucinating or not. He shook his head almost imperceptibly to clear it, then headed back to the main stage. He turned to face the crowd, keeping up the smile, though now it was partially a façade to hide his inner turmoil.

"The energy here is crazy, I think you guys have got me losing my mind." Chandler said, nearly cut off by the cheers that erupted, for they knew what song was coming.

_Never thought a train goin' any place could've changed my life_

_Never thought I'd say I could go insane, 'til I saw your eyes_

_And I had to take another look to know for sure_

_That you could be for real_

_You found an empty seat sittin' next to me_

_And I asked your name_

_Where you comin' from?_

_Where you headed to this Saturday?_

_'Cause I'm gonna be out on the town_

_As long as you are goin' there with me_

_Yeah and my head keeps spinnin'_

_You got me trippin'_

_There's something about the way you move_

_Yeah, every little single thing you do is like_

_One part angel and one part danger_

_But, oh, the kind of crazy I like_

_You got me losing my mind_

_I'm losing my mind!_

_It's getting hard to sleep_

_Getting hard to think 'bout much these days_

_'Cause everywhere I go_

_Only thing I see is your glowing face_

_And the way you light up every room you walk into_

_Just makes me want to scream_

_Yeah and my head keeps spinnin'_

_You got me trippin'_

_There's something about the way you move_

_Yeah, every little single thing you do is like_

_One part angel and one part danger_

_But, oh, the kind of crazy I like_

_You got me losing my mind_

_I'm losing my mind!_

_Can't understand why you got me so far gone_

_You're gonna have to lock me up before too long_

_You've got me losing my mind_

_Yeah and my head keeps spinnin'_

_You got me trippin'_

_There's something about the way you move_

_Yeah, every little single thing you do is like_

_One part angel and one part danger_

_But, oh, the kind of crazy I like_

_You got me losing my mind_

_I'm losing my mind!_

_You got me losing my mind_

_I'm losing my mind!_

Chandler was slowly losing control, his eyes kept being drawn to Joey, Rachel, Ross, and Phoebe. He knew they saw him looking at them, and it made him more nervous, so when it came time to close out the concert, he was happy to be able to escape into one last song before disappearing backstage.

"All of you should know this one, so feel free to sing along." He called out to the audience as he started the song.

_Now that it's all said and done,_

_I can't believe you were the one_

_To build me up and tear me down,_

_Like an old abandoned house._

_What you said when you left_

_Just left me cold and out of breath._

_I fell too far, was in way too deep._

_Guess I let you get the best of me._

_Well, I never saw it coming._

_I should've started running_

_A long, long time ago._

_And I never thought I'd doubt you,_

_I'm better off without you_

_More than you, more than you know._

_I'm slowly getting closure._

_I guess it's really over._

_I'm finally getting better._

_And now I'm picking up the pieces._

_I'm spending all of these years_

_Putting my heart back together._

_'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,_

_I got over you._

_You took a hammer to these walls,_

_Dragged the memories down the hall,_

_Packed your bags and walked away._

_There was nothing I could say._

_And when you slammed the front door shut,_

_A lot of others opened up,_

_So did my eyes so I could see_

_That you never were the best for me._

_Well, I never saw it coming._

_I should've started running_

_A long, long time ago._

_And I never thought I'd doubt you,_

_I'm better off without you_

_More than you, more than you know._

_I'm slowly getting closure._

_I guess it's really over._

_I'm finally getting better._

_And now I'm picking up the pieces._

_I'm spending all of these years_

_Putting my heart back together._

_'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,_

_I got over you._

_Well, I never saw it coming._

_I should've started running_

_A long, long time ago._

_And I never thought I'd doubt you,_

_I'm better off without you_

_More than you, more than you know._

_Well, I never saw it coming._

_I should've started running_

_A long, long time ago._

_And I never thought I'd doubt you,_

_I'm better off without you_

_More than you, more than you know._

_I'm slowly getting closure._

_I guess it's really over._

_I'm finally getting better._

_And now I'm picking up the pieces._

_I'm spending all of these years_

_Putting my heart back together._

_Well I'm putting my heart back together,_

_'Cause I got over you._

_Well I got over you._

_I got over you._

_'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,_

_I got over you._

The crowd rose up in a roar, cheering wildly for Chandler, and he acknowledged them graciously, despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to escape backstage and hope he didn't have to face his friends. Sure, he missed them, but he had no doubt they blamed him for he and Monica breaking up; heck, he blamed himself.

Finally the cheering died down enough for Chandler to exit the stage. As he walked off, he found himself searching for his friends among the crowd once more, before disappearing backstage.

_**AN/Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own friends or daughtry. The songs are:**_

_**Louder than ever**_

_**Break the Spell**_

_**Losing my mind**_

_**Over you**_

_**All of which are by daughtry.**_


	5. Chapter 4

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 4:

The four friends watched as Chandler left the stage, not missing the many times he had looked their way, his expression unreadable. His demeanor had changed when he noticed them, quite obviously to the finely tuned senses of his friends. But to his credit, he had remained completely professional, not letting it noticeably affect his performance or his interaction with the crowd.

"Well, he definitely noticed us." Rachel commented after the surrounding people had made their way to the thousands trying to leave.

"Maybe we should just leave him be. He didn't seem to be very happy that we were here." Ross suggested.

"No! This may be my last chance to see him!" Joey exclaimed, "and he didn't seem like he was unhappy to see us, it was more neutral."

Phoebe looked between the other three. "I say, we go backstage and make use of these passes. If he truly doesn't want us there, we'll leave. We'll regret it if we don't try."

Joey nodded emphatically, his eyes shining. Without waiting to see if his friends were following, he made his way towards the gate where backstage passes were being checked.

Phoebe smiled at the other two, "I think Joey has decided for us."

They laughed under their breath as they followed Joey, meeting him at the gate. They flashed their backstage passes to the guard.

"Go on through, and have a good time. Just don't harass anybody." The guard replied amicably.

Joey didn't respond; he merely dashed forward, unable to wait to see his old friend. Shaking their heads, Ross, Phoebe, and Rachel walked forward, Ross turning to the guard as he passed.

"Sorry about him. He may be twenty-six, but he acts like a kid sometimes."

The guard smiled and nodded, showing his understanding before Ross jogged to catch up to Joey, Rachel, and Phoebe, the latter two of which had ran to catch up to their excited friend.

"Lets go find Chandler!" Joey exclaimed.

Chandler walked off the stage, sweat on his forehead and wetting his hair from the exertion of the concert under the scorching hot lights. His t-shirt was also dark in places from his sweat.

What had really drained him though, was seeing his friends. He hadn't been prepared to see them, sitting in the front row of all places. Sure, he had had an inkling of an expectation that they may show up, but he had deemed it unlikely. Then there they were, singing and yelling along with the rest of the crowd, looking up at him.

He shook his head as he made his way to his dressing room. He didn't bother to change, just made his way to a chair and plopped into it, grabbing the simple acoustic guitar beside it from its stand. He softly began to sing to himself, his soft troubled voice and the melodious plucking of the guitar floating through the chaos of the backstage hallways and the clamor of the staff.

_Yesterday's gone and_

_Tomorrow's come way too fast_

_You were my first love_

_California, my last_

_Now I'm wide awake_

_Thinking of you with every breath I take_

_And I'm up at 4 A.M. Pacific Standard time_

_Trying to find the words to write a perfect rhyme_

_And it's such a crazy hour_

_But I just can't get you off my mind_

_Just can't get you off my mind_

_Maybe one more dream can end_

_Another trip down memory lane_

_It's too late to call_

_But is it too late to change my ways_

_Now I'm wide awake_

_Thinking of you with every breath I take_

_And I'm up at 4 A.M. Pacific Standard time_

_Trying to find the words to write a perfect rhyme_

_And it's such a crazy hour_

_But I just can't get you off my mind_

_And I'm up 4 A.M. Pacific Standard time_

_Don't know why it took so long to see that I was out of line_

_And it's such a crazy hour_

_But I just can't get you off my mind_

_I just can't get you off my mind_

_I just can't get you off my mind_

_Now I'm wide awake_

_Thinking of you _

_Thinking of you_

_And I'm up at 4 A.M. Pacific Standard time_

_Trying to find the words to write a perfect rhyme_

_And it's such a crazy hour_

_But I just can't get you off my mind_

_And I'm up at 4 A.M. Pacific Standard time_

_Don't know why it took so long to see that I was out of line_

_And it's such a crazy hour_

_But I just can't get you off my mind_

_Just can't get you off my mind_

_Yesterday's gone and_

_Tomorrow's come way too fast_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The four friends had split up, hoping to find Chandler faster that way. They all had their cell-phones with them, making it possible to contact each other when he was found. Joey had taken off towards where the instruments and sound equipment seemed to be being picked up. Ross made his way towards a group of people in conversation who looked fairly official, but casual at the same time. Phoebe was moving towards the right wing hoping to find the dressing rooms there.

It was Rachel, however, that was heading towards the wardrobe department area when she heard a soft voice and the accompaniment of acoustic guitar seeming to dance through the air. She was entranced and carefully made her way towards the source of the beautiful melody, dodging the people packing equipment and outfits up.

After weaving through countless people and carts, walking through winding hallways, she found the door to the room that was undoubtedly the source of the song. She peeked in and saw Chandler sitting there, strumming on the guitar and singing softly, looking slightly like the Chandler she had once knew.

She stood there, enraptured, ensnared in the beauty of the song and the thoughts it created. Finally, when he stopped singing, she managed to snap out of her trance moving a bit away from the door so she could call her friends without Chandler being in earshot.

She dialed Ross, Phoebe, and Joey, all in quick succession giving them directions to where she was and warning them to be quiet as they made their way down the hallways.

It wasn't long before the other three had joined Rachel in time to hear Chandler sigh and see him place the guitar on its stand, looking troubled, like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

Chandler heaved a sigh as he finished his song, carefully placing the beautiful acoustic guitar back on its stand. Feeling as though he couldn't manage to sit up he covered his face with his hands and fell backwards on the couch, letting out a small groan.

He quickly stood up, however, when he heard a knock at his dressing room door. He rubbed his face once more, before responding in a voice he hoped sounded more care-free than he felt, "Come in."

But when the door opened to reveal four faces that had once been his world, and still now haunted him, he froze. He couldn't get words to come, and he was sure he would fall if he tried to walk.

Joey was the first to bound forward, not taking in his former best-friend's 'deer in the headlights' state.

"Chandler!" Joey exclaimed happily, flinging his arms around his friend in a colossal bear hug.

Slightly taken aback, Chandler managed to wrap his arms around Joey as well, though a bit more tentatively.

When Joey showed no signs of letting go after a minute Phoebe gently pried him off Chandler, Joey looking slightly offended but still grinning ecstatically. An awkward silence settled over the group of reunited friends as they all struggled to find the words to say that they had all thought of over the past year.

Finally, unable to bear the silence, Chandler looked at his four friends.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, coming across slightly harsher than he intended, due to the turmoil their presence was causing him.

Ross smiled, shaking his head. "We came to see your show, great job by the way."

Joey shoved him aside, "We came to the show to see you. I found out you were playing here and we just had to come. We've missed you."

"You missed me?" Chandler echoed, somewhat incredulously. Upon his four friends' offended and slightly taken aback expressions, he quickly added, "Not that I didn't miss you guys, because, well, I missed you terribly, but, well, shouldn't you be yelling at me right about now?"

"Why would we be yelling at you?" Rachel asked, perplexed.

Chandler quickly looked down, studying his feet intently as they scuffed the floor. "Please, just forget I said that."

"No really, why would we be yelling?" Ross asked.

"Please don't make me say, it's not important anyways." Chandler said, his voice dropping considerably low.

Phoebe sighed, and looked at Chandler sympathetically. "Let it go guys. That answer can wait."

Chandler shot Phoebe a grateful look, surprised she wasn't pressing for details like Ross and Rachel were.

"So you're done with your tour, you get some time off, don't you?" Ross asked.

"Yeah, the tour's over and I've got around three months, give or take, until I need to start recording some music for my new album." Chandler responded.

"So how about you hang here for a little while? You could stay with Joey, his roommate just moved in with her boyfriend." Rachel suggested.

Chandler looked torn, and slightly skeptical, running his fingers through his hair; which was made much harder by it being short and covered in styling gel. "I don't really-"

"Pleeeaasse Chandler?" Joey begged, cutting him off and wearing his best puppy-dog face.

Chandler looked between his four friends, sighing heavily in defeat after a few moments of consternation. "Sure, why not."

_**AN/Disclaimer: Sorry it took so long, but I'm trying to make these chapters fairly long, and when I upload I haven't yet started the next chapter in most cases so, please bear with me.**_

_**I do not own Daughtry or Friends**_

_**The song used is**_

_**4:00AM by Daughtry**_


	6. Chapter 5

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 5:

Joey let out a cheer at Chandler's response and immediately wrapped him in another bear hug, eliciting a smirk from Chandler as he wrapped his arms around Joey in return.

"I can't leave right away though. I need to clear stuff up with management, and I like to help clean up with everybody else…it seems only fair." Chandler said matter of factly.

Rachel suddenly perked up, "Do you think we could get a behind the scenes tour?"

Chandler couldn't help but let out a laugh, a chuckle still evident in his voice as he said, "Yeah, I think I could manage that."

Chandler gently shook Joey off and was about to step out the door to his dressing room when he realized something.

"Uh, could you guys, maybe wait outside for a moment please?" Chandler asked somewhat sheepishly.

"Why exactly?" Phoebe asked with a knowing and playful sparkle in here eyes, a teasing smirk gracing her features.

"I've kind of got to change." He responded, gesturing to his concert wardrobe still on him. He rolled his eyes when Phoebe and Rachel didn't budge when the others did.

Off the look he gave them, Rachel responded half-jokingly, "What? You're famous. Pictures of you shirtless could get a lot of money."

Chandler shook his head and gently shoved them towards the door.

"Out."

It wasn't long before Chandler emerged from his dressing room in khakis and a plaid collared shirt. He had his concert clothes folded and tucked under his left arm. A smile graced his features, which had seen nothing of the sort in quite some time. His deep blue eyes sparkled as he turned to his friends.

"Come on, I'll drop this off and check in with management then I can take you guys on a tour." Chandler said gleefully, his long strides outpacing his friends in his eagerness.

Joey didn't have to be asked twice, quickly catching up to his friend in two strides. Ross rolled his eyes as he, Phoebe, and Rachel caught up as well.

They walked onward in amicable silence, even Chandler content to keep it, just happy to be together after so long. They followed the twisting passageways of the backstage, all except Chandler completely and utterly lost.

"Uh, you can get us back out of here, right Chandler?" Rachel asked sheepishly.

When Chandler spun around the others jumped back in surprise, the dim light of the corridor casting odd shadows across his face. His voice was deep and quiet, somehow adding a menacing air, no trace of his smile to be found upon his face.

"Why should I? I have you all here now, just like I planned. Now I can commence phase two."

Rachel sprang behind Ross, her eyes wide with fear and confusion, the other three mirroring her look. It didn't last long before Chandler burst out laughing, his face lit up with mirth.

"You guys actually believed I was an evil mastermind?! That's rich, that's just freakin' hilarious! You know me; how could I possibly be an evil genius plotting the down fall of New York?"

"In our defense, you've been gone a year. People can change a lot in a year." Ross defended.

"Yeah man," Chandler slapped Ross on the shoulder, "but I changed for the better."

"That was mean." Rachel complained whacking Chandler's upper arm with the back of her hand.

Chandler just smirked and walked onward and soon the five friends had left the gloomy corridor behind them in favor of a large open room with short hallways branching off. The room was a hive of activity, people constantly coming and going in a continuous stream, seemingly like they were following a current Ross, Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe couldn't see. However, Chandler didn't hesitate as he led them head on into the bustle. He gave a nod to the wardrobe staff as he quickly dropped off the clothes without breaking stride.

Soon the group of five had navigated to the far side of the room towards Chandler's manager and stage manager. He gave a reassuring nod to his friends as he nonchalantly approached the two. Aiden was standing to the left of John, the stage manager, looking up the moment Chandler approached.

"Great show Chandler. That was possibly the best you've performed Losing My Mind, and the new one, Break The Spell was obviously a hit." Aiden said with a smile.

"And for once you didn't give wardrobe a heart attack by messing up your outfit, so props for that man." John added before Chandler could respond.

Blushing slightly from embarrassment, Chandler nodded. "Thanks. By the way, these are my friends; Joey, Ross, Phoebe, and Rachel." He said, gesturing to each in turn.

"A pleasure I'm sure."

"Nice to meet you."

"So how did you four like the concert?" Aiden asked, facing the four friends.

"It was great." Rachel replied while Joey bounced up and down energetically.

"It was amazing and the first time we've seen Chandler in over a year!" Joey said excitedly.

John looked curiously between Chandler and the four friends, an interrogative look crossing his face. "Care to explain Chandler?"

"You hadn't told them?" Phoebe asked.

"Yep." Chandler exhaled.

"Sorry man, that's all me." Joey said sheepishly.

"Again, yep." Chandler muttered. He then turned to Aiden and John. "Okay, so I was dating my best friend, and you have to understand that we all were a very close knit group…and my best friend happened to be his," he gestured to Ross, "younger sister. Long story short, we had a fight and broke up, losing not only each other as significant others, but as best friends as well. To avoid the inevitable awkwardness and to leave Mo-, her, a support system that would not be distracted trying to balance out their time with both of us, I left without telling anyone where I was going. I said goodbye and disappeared. I tried writing, which had been my un-pursued passion and discovered I was good at writing music. That is basically where this story picks up."

Chandler then shook himself then straightened back up, and quickly clapped his hands. In an attempt to alleviate the gloominess that had followed the story he continued on to the task at hand with an upbeat voice. "Anyways, I was going to help pack up then take them on a backstage tour. I'm just checking in with you guys since I'm chilling in New York for a bit until we resume work on the next album."

It took a few moments for Aiden to react to Chandler's statement about New York, still caught up in his story. "No wonder you flipped and freaked out when I told you that you were scheduled to play Madison Square Garden."

"What?!" Joey, Phoebe, Ross, and Rachel all exclaimed.

"You didn't want to come to New York City?" Ross echoed, looking somewhat hurt.

Chandler sighed, studying the ground. "Can you blame me? Why should I have been eager to return to the place that is home to the place and person who absolutely shattered my heart and obliterated any and all hopes I ever had for my future in the course of one fight?"

It was clear how much his words pained the four. Joey was obviously trying to stay strong for his friend, but hearing the words directly and in context instead of them being lyrics to a song brought the pain to a new level. Rachel was less successful, letting out a whimper of sympathy and empathy.

Uncomfortable with the topic of conversation and hardly wishing to dwell in his pity and painful memories, Chandler once again straightened up with a muttered, "Right." before turning back to Aiden and prompting, "Well, is there any conflict with me staying in New York for the break? I also plan on doing some writing while I stay."

Aiden did his best to recover quickly from the flash revelation of the inspiration of most of his client's lyrics; and the pain of coping on his own due to one last act of chivalry and compassion, be it romantic or platonic towards the woman who broke his heart. "Yeah, uh, conflict, right…I don't think so. I'll need to check up on you occasionally just to get progress reports and alert you of any changes in the return schedule. Other than that, I think you're fine."

"Great." Chandler said quickly, looking ready to bolt for fear of having to spill more of his guts.

"Here we are at the back entrance that I'm going to need to slip out and meet you guys somewhere." Chandler said, concluding the tour.

The entire backstage area, and actually the entire arena were like a ghost town; just about completely empty. Their footsteps echoed as the walked through towards the door.

"Do you guys still have the same address?" Chandler asked.

"Yeah, we all live in about the same spots." Phoebe said.

"Oh, except for me. I live in Ugly Naked Guy's old apartment." Ross said proudly.

"That's great. So I'll meet you guys there. I am going to take a separate cab because let's face it, five people plus a guitar case and a suitcase is quite a squeeze. Plus, if you came here without Mon knowing, you probably want to get back without drawing attention to yourself which will be impossible if I'm with you." Chandler said, looking serious, not boastful.

Ross nodded, giving Chandler a supportive slap on the back, "No problem man."

"You promise that you'll come?" Rachel asked, looking worried.

"Yes Rach, I promise." Chandler sighed, saddened by his friends' lack of trust, but understanding it completely.

"I want to ride with Chandler!" Joey exclaimed in a half-whine, hopping from foot to foot.

"Relax Joe, you'll see him like, fifteen minutes after we get back." Phoebe soothed, leading the four friends out the main entrance and hailing a cab.

Meanwhile Chandler leaned against the wall, heaving a heavy sigh. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to agree to go back and stay with Joey for a few months; it would be near impossible to avoid Monica, seeing as she would be living right across the hall.

With another sigh, he pushed off the wall and returned to his dressing room to collect the last of his stuff. His ever-helpful crew had gotten his suitcases off the tour bus and put them in his dressing room. He gave a slight smile in appreciation for them before carefully packing one acoustic and one electric guitar into two cases. Picking all his luggage up, he stumbled his way out the back entrance, hailing a cab and silently pilling all his luggage into the trunk and getting, giving the cabbie the address of the apartment block a road down from where the gang really lived.

_**AN/Disclaimer: Okay, so first of all, high five to myself; This chapter is over 1,800 words and I didn't even use a song. Anyway, sorry this is taking so long, but I(as shown by the statement above) like to make the chapters decent sized so it takes a while. Plus, when I upload, I haven't even started the next chapter. Also, I wont be starting the next chapter until at least Monday night because I will be away for Memorial Day. Anyways, please review and let people know about this story. Now for my somewhat sarcastic or at least dry disclaimer…I apologize if any of you were under the impression that I do **__**in fact**__** own FRIENDS, because, let's face it. Every kid who is only just about to graduate middle school owns a show that started before they were born and earned millions of dollars from it…**_


	7. Chapter 6

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 6:

It wasn't long before the group of four friends had arrived back to the apartment block. They all emerged from the cab, Phoebe paying the fare this time. Once they were all standing on the sidewalk and heading towards the doors, Joey turned back to face the others,

"Do you think Chandler will actually come? That he wont suddenly decide it's a bad idea to come back here?"

Ross shook his head and said with a sigh, "I really don't know Joe. He's not one to go back on his promises, but it'll be challenging for him to come back here no doubt."

"Come on Joey." Phoebe said sweetly, lightly patting him on his shoulder before they went into the apartment building.

About fifteen minutes after the four friends arrived back at the apartment, Chandler's cab arrived to its destination a block away. He gave a smile to the cab driver, handing him a twenty-dollar bill.

"Keep the change." He said, grabbing his bags from the trunk. He slung his backpack over his shoulders, picked up his double guitar case, and rolled his suitcase behind him.

Chandler heaved a sigh before starting to make his way down the street. His heart rate kept increasing each step he took closer to his old home. Well, his old life. He still considered his childhood home his old home; for it belonged to a time he was always reluctant to look back on.

It wasn't long before he found himself in front of the apartment building that had dominated a large part of his life. By now his heart was beating so hard that he was certain that it could be detected on a seismograph. _It would probably be like, a .0025 on the Richter scale, but whatever…_ he thought to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he buzzed Joey's apartment, praying that someone would answer, because there was, for the love of god, no way that he would buzz Monica's apartment. It took a few heart rate rising seconds before he heard Joey's voice through the speaker. He thought it odd that the doors were locked, for it seemed people had rarely ever had to buzz in when he lived there.

"Hey Joe, it's me." Chandler said into the buzzer's microphone.

"Come on up."

Chandler gave an apprehensive smile as the door gave a slight click and he walked in. It was now that he had all his bags it occurred to him the ridiculousness that the building had no elevator. Rolling his shoulders in preparation, he picked up his suitcase, adding to the load on his upper body, and made his way up the stairs.

Finally he arrived in front of Joey's door and knocked, hoping to get in quickly lest Monica decide to come out into the hall at that moment. He hated that he had to avoid her, but it was inevitable that it would be unbearably awkward. It was likely to end negatively anyway; he had had a long year and had just finished a concert…he was tired which made it more likely he would snap and make the situation worse.

Thankfully, Joey promptly opened the door and Chandler practically flung himself into the apartment. Joey smirked slightly as he closed the door behind him before turning around so as to face him.

"Uh, your room is still the one on the right…my last roommate didn't change too much. I'll help you settle in." Joey said, grabbing Chandler's suitcase and carrying into the bedroom, Chandler close behind.

"Thanks man."

"Hey, you're my brother. That was established a while ago." Joey replied, smiling widely.

"I'm glad that that still stands."

"Of course it does man." Joey said before the sound of an egg timer came from the living room, "You still like Baywatch dude?"

"Are you crazy?! Of course I do!" Chandler said with a grin, charging from the room, skidding to a stop when he was thrown for a loop, seeing both barcaloungers there. "Monica didn't throw it out when we broke up? I figured she'd throw out anything of mine that I didn't take…"

Joey walked up behind him, "Nah, she gave it to me along with anything else of yours she thought I'd want."

"Oh, okay." Chandler said, taking a seat in his old chair, reclining and letting out a groan of happiness. Joey did the same while turning the TV on and flicking to Baywatch.

All was fine for about five minutes, after which the door opened and a black haired beauty that Chandler had hoped to avoid walked in.

"Hey Joe, do you have my-" Monica's voice dropped away as she stood there, frozen, staring at Chandler who was staring back at her, equally transfixed. "You know, never mind. Keep it. I've got to go." She then turned and walked out the door, closing it harshly.

Chandler looked between the door and the TV a few times before turning to Joey. "I'll be right back Joe." He said, jumping from the chair and running out the door.

Chandler stood in the hallway, his guts already abandoning him. He stood outside the door to apartment twenty, debating whether or not to go in, when he heard voices coming from inside.

"Rach, what the heck is he doing here?!" Monica exclaimed angrily.

"He's here seeing old friends Monica. He hasn't seen any of us in over a year; He's allowed to hang out with us. He gave you an entire year with us entirely to yourself when he had nobody!" Rachel replied, calmer than Monica.

"This is going to be so awkward though."

It was at this point that Chandler decided to make his presence known, and knocked on the door. He could hear some shuffling around inside before the door opened and he was face to face with Rachel.

"Can I come in? I know Monica's here…I want to talk to her." Chandler said, swallowing worriedly.

"Of course. I'll get out from under your guys' feet. Good luck Chandler." Rachel said, walking out into the hall as he walked in to apartment twenty.

Chandler took a deep breath, looking around the apartment that he had shared with Monica for a few months. Not much had changed, as a matter of fact; it looked like absolutely nothing had changed, except for the fact that anything that had had his influence was gone. His voice was soft and hesitant as he called out,

"Monica? Mon, I know you're here, please come out and talk to me."

Monica sat on her bed in her room, debating whether or not to go out and talk to Chandler. How could he come back here? Didn't he expect this? How could he think he could just waltz back here after a year and everything would be okay? _Maybe if you talked to him you could find out._ She thought to herself, irritated with her subconscious.

Sighing with reluctance, Monica emerged from her room, looking at Chandler straight on. "What Chandler?" she asked, her voice hard and steely with slight exhaustion.

Pain flashed across his face and stayed in his eyes, and for a moment she felt guilty. "I thought we should talk, get everything out in the open. I'm going to be staying with Joey for the next few months until I have to start work on my next album, so, I thought it would be good to clear the air as much as possible." Chandler said, his voice soft and almost hollow.

_Wait, album? Since when does he work on albums? Oh yeah, great, that's the part to focus on dimwit! _Monica thought to herself. Instead, she said, her voice cold and somewhat cynical, "Clear the air? Chandler, in case you haven't noticed, it's been a year. The window for that closed a long time ago."

"Yes Monica, I am aware it has been a year, and quite frankly, I didn't know how to deal with this then, and I still don't. But I'm sure going to try. I'm tired of running. I ran a year ago, cutting everyone who ever mattered to me out, just so you could have them. But at this point, I can't take it anymore. I know loneliness, and I used to be fine with it; I was alone my entire childhood and I'd rather not be alone for the rest of my life as well. So you can go on pretending you're living in your perfect little world, but I've never had one, and I know they don't exist. If you want to be happy, you need to make it happen. But even if you don't want to talk, I do, so lets give us both a chance, and who knows, you may learn something about the entire freakin' situation." Chandler said, his voice never rising and his eyes blazing with a burning pain, slightly out of breath from his miniature rant.

Monica looked almost taken aback by that. The Chandler she knew had never advocated for himself, instead he just let it all wash over him to avoid conflict. After going back and forth with herself mentally, during which a deafening silence reigned, she sat down in the chair.

"Fine, speak."

_**AN/Disclaimer: Okay, so I could have continued in this chapter, but it is already over 1,500 words and I figured, sure, why not tease them with a cliff hanger? Plus, I tend to have trouble finding ways to start chapters unless there is something I can latch onto from the last chapter, so hopefully this'll help. I don't own F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and lets be honest, I likely never will.**_


	8. Chapter 7

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 7:

Once Monica gave in, Chandler stood frozen for a second, not quite sure how to proceed. Finally he sat down across from her, resting his face in his hands for a moment before looking back up. He took a deep breath before starting to speak, his voice soft and hesitant.

"I, uhm, I just, I have to say how miserable I've been. Not to guilt you or anything, because I chose to leave all my friends behind, but, you know. I was miserable because I had absolutely no one. I was miserable because I knew I had lost you. Whatever you think happened didn't. I never would hurt you like that, and I always thought you had known that."

Monica shook her head, her voice still slightly angry, "Chandler, she came up to me specifically and told me all that had happened between you two. She told me how long you two had been having the affair, and that you never told her you were dating someone."

Chandler groaned with annoyance, "That woman I only ever saw at work. Her name is Caitlin. This is hardly the first relationship she's broken up. She is one of those people who loves to stir the pot then disappear into the background to see the fall out. We became her target because of the high stakes and how close we were. She was jealous and she liked the challenge. Apparently it wasn't so much of a challenge," his voice started to shake, "All she had to do was tell you I was cheating on you and make the two of you seem like the victims. You never even heard me out."

"Why should I believe that over a year later when you didn't even fight for us?" Monica retorted, clenching her fists with irritation.

"Hmm, let me think about that for a moment…If I had been in your situation and was told by a complete stranger that my girlfriend had been cheating on me with him for lord knows how long, OF COURSE I'd believe the stranger over my girlfriend who had been my best friend for years. That makes sense. Why bother letting her defend herself or give her side of the story hmm? It would be pointless, because I have the word of a complete stranger…It's perfect logic!" Chandler sarcastically responded, eyes blazing.

Monica stood up abruptly, looking furious. It didn't matter that about a week ago she had been blaming herself completely for their break up. Now her competitiveness and pride were coming in to play, and she was not going to admit defeat. She glared at him, her voice spitting venom. "Just go. We've talked, so go."

_If eyes could kill…_ thought Chandler, shaking his head as he stood up. "You know what, I'm sorry I came over. I'm sorry I tried to clear things up. I'll just leave you be." He said icily, spinning and walking out the door, slamming it behind him.

Now Monica was furious at both Chandler and herself. She had won, but at the cost of a possibly mendable friendship. She sighed and wandered into her bedroom, collapsing on her bed.

Chandler stormed back across the hall and into Apartment 19, charging past Joey watching Baywatch without a word and slamming his bedroom door behind him. He removed his electric guitar from its case, and plugged it into a small portable amp. He strummed a chord, looking as though he were about to go into war.

He strummed until he found a chord he liked. He was ready to let loose. He had a feeling he wouldn't have to adjust the lyrics of the song when he was done. He was about to enter his zone and free all his emotions.

_I woke up today sinkin' like the stones that you have thrown_

_Wounded by the same old shots you take_

_It's easier to kick me when I'm low_

_And I just thought that you should know_

_I've been holding on while you've been letting go_

_Well, it's not too late to say it right this time_

_'Cause I know I said I'm sorry but that's not what I meant to say_

_I'm strong enough to say_

_That I don't wanna take the high road now_

_So typical of you to walk away_

_When your perfect little world is burning down_

_And I just thought that you should know_

_I've been holding on while you've been letting go, can I be so bold?_

_'Cause all this sucking up to you is just getting old_

_Well, it's not too late to say it right this time_

_'Cause I know I said I'm sorry, but that's not what I meant to say_

_What I really meant to say with every little breath I take_

_I'm not the only one who makes mistakes_

_Just think of all the ones you've made_

_And I just thought that you should know_

_I've been holding on while you've been letting go, can I be so bold?_

_'Cause all this sucking up to you is just getting old_

_Well, it's not too late to say it right this time_

_'Cause I know I said I'm sorry, but that's not what I meant to say_

_Not what I meant to say_

_Can I be so bold?_

'_Cause all this sucking up to you is just getting old._

_Well, it's not too late to_

_Say it right this time_

'_Cause I know I said I'm sorry,_

_But that's not what I meant to say_

Joey just sat in his chair, Baywatch forgotten, as he heard his friend sing out his sorrows from his room._ What the heck happened over at Monica's?_ He turned off the TV, considering walking into Chandler's room before thinking better of it and walking across the hall, hoping for some clue of what happened.

Chandler fell back on his bed when he finished singing, exhausted from his confrontation with the _still_ love of his life. Sighing deeply he closed his eyes, drifting into a light and fitful sleep.

Monica sighed and rested her face in her palms. _Why the heck do I keep doing that?! Why couldn't I just let him speak? Why couldn't I just tell him that I regretted how I treated him? Yet you went and treated him the exact same way again._ Her subconscious reminded her.

A knock on her apartment door startled her from her reverie, bringing to mind a time when not one of her friends had worried about the courtesy of knocking. She rose to her feet, reluctantly going to answer the door.

She opened the door to see Joey on the other side looking a mixture of a curious and melancholy.

"What the heck did you say to him?" Joey asked immediately, slight anger lying below the surface.

"I may have been a bit cold and harsh." She replied somewhat sheepishly, "Why?"

"Let's just say he, within a few minutes, has written a new song for his album and it's hardly a lullaby." Joey responded, sounding slightly cynical.

"I'm aware this is the wrong thing to focus on, but people keep mentioning an album, and, quite frankly, I have no idea what they're talking about." Monica said, with a questioning inflection.

"Seriously Mon? I know you had essentially locked yourself in here for a year, but did you not even watch any TV? Chandler's possibly the biggest star in the world right now. He is THE music sensation of the past year and his popularity is still growing. He just finished playing at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN! I'm surprised he even had the energy to confront you after that venue…It was insane!" Joey replied.

"So, he's famous?"

"Yeah, pretty much. His debut album topped the charts for about four weeks straight and is still in the top ten. He's just finished his first tour and now is getting a 'break' for a few months before he starts working on his sophomore album. Of course, he is already writing songs for it." Joey responded, obviously having kept up with the stats.

"Okay, well, that makes a bit more sense. So, he can write and sing…how did we never know this about him?" Monica asked.

"I don't think he even knew. Anyway, I think you should do some major damage control for whatever you just said to him, because, let's be honest, you were a wreck without him around. If you're not careful you may lose him completely." Joey said pointedly.

"Yeah, I get it."

"Good. Now that that's taken care of…do you have any of that casserole left?"

_**AN/Disclaimer: Okay, so I thought I'd leave it there with a little comic relief. I'm so sorry this took so long, but I'm having major issues writing this story now…I know where I want it to go, and I have some major twists and plotlines for it, but I don't know how to get there…**_

_**Anyway I don't own Daughtry or F.R.I.E.N.D.S**_

_**I would encourage everybody to actually listen to the songs that I post on here; Daughtry has a very unique sound with some honestly good and meaningful lyrics. The song used was What I Meant To Say by Daughtry.**_


	9. Chapter 8

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 8:

It had been almost a week since Chandler had confronted Monica, and the awkwardness had in no way subsided. He had taken to disappearing into his room for hours spread throughout the day, writing and playing music. Occasionally he joined his friends at Central Perk, doing his best to ignore the persistent and throbbing pain he felt whenever he was around Monica; after all, he didn't make his friends choose between them before, and he wasn't planning to now.

Thankfully, today was one of the days where there weren't many paparazzi hanging out by the entrance to the gang's favorite hangout or by the entrance to the old brownstone that housed their apartments. It was something none but Chandler had expected. Chandler was completely at ease with the cameras flashing and people yelling out to him, but his friends weren't. Perhaps the most ill at ease was Monica. She wasn't used to all the attention, and certainly wasn't used to the fact Chandler was famous.

Chandler opened the door to Central Perk and the little bell rung; a recent addition that he wasn't sure he liked. Closing the door behind him, he made his way to the counter, ordering a cappuccino before sitting down on the ratty orange couch he knew so well.

It wasn't long before the chatter that accompanied the arrival of the rest of gang poured through the door and for a brief moment, Chandler was transported back to a time just over a year ago. He couldn't have been happier…Monica and he had long since said their 'I love you-s' and in truth, their relationship couldn't have been better. The entire gang was sitting on the couch in Central Perk. Monica was sitting next to him, and his arm was wrapped around her, pulling her closer. He relished the feel of having her so close to him, knowing she was his, and he was hers.

The beautiful illusion was shattered just as quickly, and replaced by the typical throbbing pain that accompanied the presence of Monica. He cast a glance at her, and had to swallow a surge of feelings so intense and conflicting, he was certain he was going to choke on them. He didn't understand how he could be so deeply, madly in love with her, while feeling an all-consuming sense of anger and betrayal as well.

In an attempt to cover his inner turmoil, he took a sip of his coffee, using that brief moment of reprieve to set his façade, just in time for his friends to sit down on the couch beside him, Monica taking a seat in one of the chairs.

He felt guilty for his sense of relief that Monica seemed as uncomfortable and unwilling to make eye contact as he. They both studied the contents of their coffee mugs, desperately trying to stay calm.

Their friends seemed oblivious to the tension and discomfort of the two exes, continuing the easy and good-natured banter as though nothing was wrong.

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Ross said grinning, "You, Joey Tribbiani, got turned down by a woman?"

"How was I supposed to know that I had food all over my face?" Joey replied defensively.

At this point, Chandler couldn't help but step in.

"How **couldn't** you know? You devoured an entire box of barbequed meats!" he paused a moment for emphasis, "With EXTRA sauce!"

At a loss for a defense Joey turned Chandler, "At least I had the nerve to talk to her, funny man! We all know what **you **would have said!" Joey retorted, making an unintelligible noise to mock Chandler.

Chandler quickly backed down, his face reddening in embarrassment as he went back to studying his coffee.

Meanwhile, Monica was listening to the conversation and was hit by an indescribable jealously and sense of discomfort at the mere indication of Chandler possibly asking someone else out. She knew it was unwarranted, and the situation posed was completely hypothetical, but she couldn't help it…and that bothered her. She cast a furtive glance at Chandler when she was sure he wasn't looking, desperately trying to decipher the wealth of emotions that consumed her whenever he was around.

Of course it would be just her luck for him to look up. When their eyes met the air of awkwardness returned, and they both blushed, looking back down at their coffees.

The look on Chandler's face seemed more a cross of a grimace and a grin than anything else. He longed for the days when he and Monica could stand to be around each other…before that woman at his office decided to target him and ultimately ruin the only good thing in his life at the time.

His managers always told him that it was good he was single, that it was much more marketable, but all that did was remind him that he and Monica were no more.

He sighed. No matter how far his thoughts wandered, they always led back to Monica. She still dominated his heart and mind twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He just wished she would give him the benefit of the doubt; that she would listen to his side of the story without her bias. He frowned for a moment before clearing his throat and quickly rising to his feet.

"Sorry to drink and run, but despite the stimulating conversation and palpable tension, I'm gonna head out."

The others turned to him, surprised. But Monica quickly looked back to her coffee; well aware that she was the reason he was leaving. Once again, guilt flooded through her as she longed to go back to the night of their conversation nearly a week ago. She didn't know why she had shown such disregard for his attempt to tell her his side of the story; and looking back, she couldn't understand why she had been so quick to believe the other woman. Chandler had never been the one cheating…he was always the one being cheated on.

With that realization, she announced she was taking her leave before rising to her feet and making her way out the doors. She knew without a doubt that Chandler would have gone back up to his room in his old apartment to play guitar and sing.

She walked into apartment 19 without bothering to knock. She paused when she heard the strumming of a beautiful steel string acoustic and a melodious voice accompanying it. _There's no way that's Chandler_, she thought, but the more she listened, she realized it was in fact him. She thought back to the few times before they had broken, or even gotten together for that matter, that he had sang in front of any of them. She realized he had always had a nice voice, but it had never been pushed to its limit. She sighed, reluctantly approaching the door, unwilling to let the music end. She paused once more, taking a deep breath before softly knocking on the door.

_**AN/Disclaimer: So, once again, I'm saying sorry for the time between updates, but I'm finding myself only being able to come up with little bits at a time for the most part. Anyway, not that this matters to any of you, but I'm taking this class, well, more of a five-day workshop, about writing, directing, and acting in plays. Or just writing, directing, and acting in general, but we only have access to a stage. Anywho, thanks for sticking with the story. I'm sorry that I don't give direct shoutouts to reviewers, but I tried that once, and, well, I tend to be too tired to take all the necessary steps. To prove my point, I just finished writing this at 11:05PM EST, and have been getting up at like 7:30AM-ish. So it is safe to say I'm exhausted. And if there are any parents reading this, please, let me speak for your teens or future teens, don't make them get up before at least 11:00AM during the summer…it just doesn't feel right.**_

_**Now to the depressing part…I don't own FRIENDS, and, let's face it, probably never will. **_


	10. Chapter 9

Encore

_An Alternate Universe Mondler Fan fiction_

Chapter 9:

Chandler was admittedly ashamed of himself as he fled the coffee house, but he didn't know whether he could've stood another moment of the unbearable tension. So now here he was, sitting in his room strumming on his guitar and singing. He was traditionally a soft rock artist, but he dabbled in multiple genres, sometimes pop, sometimes a song may have a classical feel, but most often if it weren't rock, it would be country. There was one song, he had taught himself quite sometime ago, a song he hadn't played in a while; but as though his fingers had minds of their own, he found himself singing Dierks Bentley's Come A Little Closer.

_Come a little closer, baby_

_I feel like layin' you down_

_On a bed sweet surrender_

_Where we can work it all out_

_There ain't nothin' that love can't fix_

_Girl, it's right here at our fingertips_

_So come a little closer baby,_

_I feel like layin' you down_

_Come a little closer, baby_

_I feel like lettin' go_

_Of everything that stands between us_

_And the love we used to know_

_I wanna touch you like a cleansing rain_

_Let it wash all the hurt away_

_So come a little closer baby_

_I feel like lettin' go_

_If there's still a chance_

_Then take my hand_

_And we'll steal away_

_Off into the night_

_'till we make things right_

_The suns gonna rise on a better day_

_Come a little closer baby_

_I feel like strippin' it down_

_Back to the basics of you and me_

_And what makes the world go round_

_Every inch of you against my skin_

_I wanna be stronger than we've ever been_

_So come a little closer baby_

_I feel like strippin' it down_

_Come a little bit closer baby_

_Just a little bit closer baby_

_Come a little bit closer baby_

_I feel like layin' you down_

He continued his noodling on the guitar, continuing in the key of the song; improvising a continuation as he found himself getting lost in the music.

He let out a soft sigh before startling at a knock on his door. Reluctantly he set the guitar on its stand and made his way to the door, attempting to compose himself before he opened it. For lack of a better word he was shocked to see Monica standing on the other side, her eyes seeming to swim with emotion. He didn't want to let himself believe the emotion he saw there, shrugging it off to her possibly having burned her mouth while drinking her coffee; accounting for the slight tears that seemed to be building in her eyes.

Suddenly, he realized they had been staring at each other for nearly three minutes without either saying a word. Clearing his throat roughly he gazed at her with a guarded expression.

"Can I help you with something?" he rasped.

His words seemed to shake Monica from her trance as she licked her lips that had suddenly gone dry along with the rest of her mouth.

"Uh, can we talk?"

Chandler eyed her warily before nodding and stepping into the living room. He was about to sit down when he realized he didn't want any of their friends walking in on this. In a few quick strides he had locked the door and was back beside the barcaloungers, gesturing to Monica to sit in either one.

"Would you like anything to drink? I'm afraid we only have water and beer." He said softly.

"No thank you." Came Monica's shaky reply.

Running his hand through his hair and biting his bottom lip nervously, he wordlessly sat down in the vacant barcalounger and turned to face her.

Immediately Monica's courage deserted her, but she was well aware that she could hardly turn back now. She shifted slightly, if only to stall for a brief second. Finding great interest in her shoes, she began.

"I-I'm so sorry about how I've been acting; recently and a year ago. I was far too quick to pass judgment then, beat myself up over it when you left, and then when an opportunity to hear your side of the story presented itself again, I brushed it off, hearing what you said, but not _**listening**_. I m-missed you so much when you left; and it only made my pain worse knowing it was my fault. I-I hate myself for breaking up with you. I don't want to seem presumptuous but if the pain I went through was any indication, I hate imagining the pain I caused you and-"

Chandler cut her off. "Mon. Mon. Monica." Once he got her attention he continued. "Mon, I, you have no idea how long I dreamed of hearing you say such things to me, so this is why it feels so incredible, yet hurts so much to say this…I don't want to say we can't be back together because, one day, I really would like to be. But, I really think we should rebuild our friendship first and foremost. That was always our foundation; without it, I think, we, we risk a far more unstable relationship."

Monica looked up at him for the first time to see the true devastation she had caused him that one fateful day a year ago. It was written across his face and she was startled to see a lone tear dripping down his cheek. Unable to stand it any longer, Monica rushed over and wrapped him in her arms. She was pleased to feel his arms wrap around her as well, pulling her tightly against his chest. The hug was their undoing and tears were now continuously streaming down their faces, wetting each other's shirts.

Finally they pulled apart, just enough so they could see each other. Their tears had dried up, leaving streaks done both their faces. Neither really wanted to break their hug, reveling in the feeling of being close after so long. However, the longer Chandler stared into Monica's beautiful, royal blue eyes, the stronger his urge to kiss her grew. Finally he realized he had to pull away from her, not wishing to contradict all he had just said, for he truly believed it.

Monica looked the slightest bit hurt when Chandler broke their hug, but seeing the look of need in deep blue eyes, a look she hadn't seen in a while, she understood.

She made an attempt to compose her self then smiled at Chandler sweetly. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt as good as she did now.

Seeing Monica smile brought a smile to Chandler's face, which turned into a lopsided grin as he absorbed how her beauty seemed to radiate from her, when she smiled.

"Well, I guess I should getting going…I'll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast?" Monica asked hopefully.

Chandler's grin grew.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Monica gazed at him for a few moments more before turning and walking across the hall to her apartment.

By the time the door closed, Chandler was smiling from ear to ear. He licked his lips and looked at the door once more before doing a little hop-skip towards his room.

Life was finally looking up.

_**AN/Disclaimer: Seriously, do I have to do a disclaimer every time? I mean, I even credited the song in text. Whatever, you guys all know I don't own them. I'm sorry for the long wait, and I regret to inform you that wait times will only get worse. Come Tuesday I'm starting Highschool as a ninth grader and I won't be home for the rest of the week which means I can't even start the next chapter. But anyway, at least hopefully you enjoy this chapter, and re-read the story whenever you want.**_


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